Web/digital style guide
In an effort to establish web branding consistency throughout the University of Illinois System Offices, all outward-facing system office websites should implement design elements that identify the sites as being part of the University of Illinois System and under the System Offices umbrella. This consistency helps increase understanding about what units serve the entire system, and strengthens the overall U of I System identity.
Current website design guidelines (updated February 2018) for elements to be included in websites for the system offices:
1. The U of I System logo or wordmark in a prominent position, preferably in upper left region of page.
2. The logo/wordmark is hyperlinked to the home page (uillinois.edu)
3. Search function located in the top right quadrant of the page. This can be a search box and/or the usual magnifying glass icon.
4. A blue bar at or near the top of the page containing elements 1-3.
5. A san-serif font for running text. Fonts used on the ullinois.edu site are preferred, and are all available as open source Google fonts:
primary font: Lato
header/site names: Oswald
accent text (serif): Merriweather
6. A footer that lists:
i. address for the office providing the web information
ii. contact information (either email address or Contact Us online form)
iii. Board of Trustees copyright (usually with the date/year)
iv. a link to the U of I web privacy statement
7. A footer may also include:
i. the U of I System wordmark or logo
ii. repeat of core navigation links or popular page links
iii. relevant social media links for the office/site
iv. a link to the System Offices page
System Offices website managers are encouraged to adopt the elements listed above on the pages for their units. These guidelines may be implemented in a way that best fits existing website design while maintaining the spirit of visual consistency that identifies pages as coming from a system office.
Websites should be designed for optimal display on mobile devices. When delivered to mobile devices, which have a variety of screen sizes, web pages should be consistent with the spirit of U of I System identification and branding.
Per state law and the standards of the universities, sites should also comply with mandated accessibility requirements.
Favicon
The approved favicon for system websites is a simple blue circle that coordinates with the colors scheme of uillinois.edu. download a copy of the .ico file for use on your website.
Making your site consistent
The uillinois.edu website is hosted by AITS, and content is managed by the External Relations and Communications office utilizing the SitePublish content management system. A system office does not need to use SitePublish but AITS staff can leverage existing templates to customize your office’s site. Both offices are available for assistance in ensuring your website is compliant with the branding guidelines.